Seven times, and hopefully more
by Ponta-sensei
Summary: Or seven times Natsume and Tanuma were in each others arms. Natsume and Tanuma have always been awkward and tedious about such little things. (Slight shipping if you squint. Warning for small appearance of violence which could be classified as gory in the sixth and less so the seventh)


The first time was an accident and entirely Natsume's fault.

It wasn't unusual for Natsume and Tanuma to walk home together after school. For the majority of the way they were going in the same direction so neither of them really had to go out of their way. Sometimes they'd get distracted with conversation and end up wandering, loosing track of their destinations and simply walking until they'd already wasted enough time for their families to worry. They never intended these little ventures and they never really went far. It was just an unspoken ritual of trailing along the edge of the forest for as long as they could get away with. For whatever reason, no matter what was on his mind these times were always calming.

It was on one of these days it happened. They'd been walking for some time but not awfully long. It was a nice day if not slightly overcast and they had managed to meander there way into the forest surrounding Tanuma's home. It was at this point that they figured it was time to separate. Tanuma turned slightly to say his farewells as they did.

"See you tomorrow?" Tanuma spoke by way of parting.

Natsume smiled and nodded in agreement. It had always puzzled him that Tanuma always posed it as a question instead of a statement, as if requesting permission to do something they always did

With that, Natsume moved to leave. However, his foot caught something and before he could take a single step he was falling. Out of instinct, Natsume reached out and and grabbed the closest thing to stop himself from falling. That thing just so happened to be Tanuma. Natsume fell against the other boys chest and hands grasped his shoulders firmly to support him. In that instant he could feel his friends muscles turn ridged and Natsume instantly went stiff out of guilt. Tanuma was not a touchy person.

As quickly as he could manage he regained his footing and stood up straight, allowing Tanuma to release his shoulders. He opened his mouth to apologise for the invasion of his friends personal space, only to be interrupted.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have." Tanuma apologised, bowing his head ever so slightly in resignation. "I should go. Bye."

And with that, he turned and left. Natsume stood there for a long moment in confusion. For the life of him he couldn't figure out what had made Tanuma think he needed to apologise. He had been the one to fall, after all, he should have been apologising. Eventually he forced himself to continue home, resolving that he would apologise properly tomorrow.

The second time was extremely awkward.

It was the first day back from their break and they had, surprisingly, seen very little of each other. Natsume had had a lot of Youkai to deal with, Taki had taken a holiday class, and Tanuma's father had sent him to stay with relatives for most of the break. They had called regularly to check in on each other so it wasn't as if they hadn't been in touch. Natsume was lucky enough to get away with minimal injury over the whole break and Tanuma had only gotten sick once, as Taki had pointed out, she was rather pleased with that.

Nevertheless the first day back at school was an exciting?one. It would be their first time together as the three of them since the last term had ended. Natsume was first to arrive, slightly ashamed to admit he had made sure to be there extra early in his excitement. Taki was the next to arrive, bounding over to Natsume and wrapping him into a warm, tight hug. During the duration of this exchange, Tanuma arrived and strode over to the two with a slight chuckle at the sight. Taki soon let go and did the Same to Tanuma. Just as she had done before her hug didn't allow for any return as she squeezed her victim with their arms still pinned to their sides.

When she finally released her hold and took a step back she looked expectantly at her friends who returned with a puzzled look.

"Well? Aren't you two going to hug too?" She persisted.

Natsume looked to Tanuma with heat in his cheeks. The other boy was looking down sheepishly at the suggestion and he managed to spare a questioning glance at Natsume.

Natsume wasn't used to hugging people, but he wasn't exactly against it. His main concern was how Tanuma would feel about it. He was quite clearly uncomfortable and he didn't want to make that any worse.

"I'm okay with it." Natsume began shyly. "But only if you want to."

Tanuma blinked as if surprised and nodded. It was him who took a step forward and stiffly wrapped his arms around Natsume's shoulders. It was at this moment that Natsume realised he had no idea what he was meant to do. Slowly and unsurely he shifted his arms around Tanuma's back and carefully tapped his shoulder.

He tapped his shoulder

In that moment Natsume just wanted to stop existing. What kind of hug was that? He was supposed to embrace Tanuma, not pet him! His face heated up even more and He and Tanuma both released their grip and took a step back.

Natsume was sure it must have been the most horrible hug imaginable because Tanuma couldn't look him in the eye for the next three days.

The third time they both got a little wet.

It was five in the afternoon and rain was coming down in buckets. Natsume had been helping a small Youkai find their way home and had gotten caught in the rain. Luckily he had come prepared. It was a rather warm day out but he had seen the weather forecast that morning and brought a jacket and umbrella. Natsume walked back towards his house, the umbrella being only just enough to protect him from the onslaught of the rain. When a particularly strong gust of wind almost blew him over he had to stop to regain his balance. The street was mostly empty, bar a few people with their umbrellas making their way home. He was about to continue doing the same when he spotted a figure across the street.

"Tanuma?"

The figure across the road halted and looked over to Natsume. Tanuma was soaked through, his white school shirt clung to his body and his hair was weighed down by the water that dripped from it. He seemed just as shocked to see Natsume as he was to see him. What on earth was he doing out in the rain like this?

Natsume hopped across the road, moving in close enough to share the cover of his umbrella with the soaked boy. It wasn't quite big enough however, and he could feel rain hitting his back. Tanuma seemed to notice this and pushed the hand holding the cover back towards Natsume.

"I'm already wet, no use you getting wet too." He chuckled lightly, pushing a hand back through his wet hair.

"What are you doing out like this? You're soaked!"

"I had to stay late at school." Tanuma shrugged offhandedly, ignoring the stream of rain drops trickling down his face. "I didn't expect the rain"

"You should be more careful, you'll catch a cold like this." For a second time Natsume held out his umbrella

with a frown.

"We can't both fit." Tanuma shook his head.

Natsume, on a whim, shuffled closer to his friend. So much that their shoulders were touching. He was still getting a little rain on him but it was no where near as bad as before.

"I'm getting you wet-!" Tanuma tried to shift away but Natsume stopped him, putting an arm around his back and grasping his shoulder gently. He froze and when Natsume looked to him he saw his face had turned bright red. Realising just what he had just done, he looked down, also feeling the blood rush to his face.

"It's okay, your house isn't far, right? It'll be fine like this."

Tanuma smiled slightly and nodded. They began walking in awkward silence. After a few minutes, Tanuma's hand reached around to Natsume's shoulder just like he had done before. When Natsume gave him a questioning glance Tanuma mumbled. "It's easier to stay close like this."

Natsume looked back down and felt a smile spread across his lips. For someone who was soaking wet, Tanuma was surprisingly warm.

The fourth time probably wouldn't have happened without the third.

By the time they made it to Tanuma's house out of the rain they were both fairly wet. Tanuma had lent Natsume a change of clothes and they had both showered and cleaned up. It was decided after that that Natsume would spend the night. They did a few things, washed their clothes and made dinner but went to bed early for school the next day.

Natsume slept well. He always did when he was beside Tanuma. On a normal night when he went to bed he was full of so many concerns. Being able to be there and know one of his best friends was well alleviated many of those worries and he found himself oddly at peace. He was almost certain that he could have slept forever if he hadn't been disturbed early in the morning.

The sun was just starting to raise when Natsume was stirred by a movement in the futon next to his accompanied by a groan. Being still mostly asleep, Natsume dismissed it and rolled over in an attempt to lull himself back into sleep. It almost worked until he was jostled by another sound at his side. A cough? He blinked sluggishly as that thought registered in his sleep fogged mind. After a few moments he managed to wake himself up enough to sit. He stretched and looked to his side.

Tanuma was curled up on his side facing away from Natsume. His shoulders shook slightly beneath the covers and he coughed lightly into his cupped hands. Natsume frowned worriedly, scooting closer and gazing down at his friend.

"Tanuma? Are you awake?"

The ball under the blankets shifted and Tanuma looked up at Natsume with Half lidded eyes. "Hmm? Is it time to get ready for school?"

"No, not yet." Natsume shook his head. "Are you alright?"

Tanuma nodded and sat up slowly, wincing visibly. "Just a headache, I think."

Natsume wasn't convinced. He reached out with a hesitant hand to feel his friends forehead. His fringe brushed against his hand softly as the hand touched the heated skin of Tanuma's forehead softly. Far too warm. It was definitely a fever. He sighed and pulled his hand back. "I think you've come down with something. It's not really surprising after yesterday."

"Ah," Tanuma didn't seem surprised either. "Looks like you'll have to go to school without me."

"Is that really alright?" Natsume frowned. "Sick people shouldn't be left on their own."

Tanuma smiled softly and shook his head. "Being sick is the one thing I'm good at. I'll be alright."

"Alright, but until I have to leave at least let me take care of you. Do you have any medicine?"

"Yes, in the kitchen. The draw beside the sink."

Natsume gave Tanuma a gentle nudge to lie back down and slowly stood up. He made sure he was comfortable before leaving to collect a few things. Natsume was familiar with the lay out of the house despite it being a rather large one. He'd spent so much time here over the duration of his friendship with Tanuma it was no surprise.

In the kitchen he poured a glass of water and looked through the medicine draw. He was surprised to see just how many bottles and boxes were in there. Painkillers, vitamins, supplements, cough medicine, plus others. He gave a wry half smile. Tanuma always said his father went overboard when it came to his health. Unfortunately this sort of thing wouldn't help most the time. Shaking the thought he took out a sheet of ieqbprophen and some throat lozenges and headed back to the bedroom.

When he returned, Tanuma sat up and accepted the glass and medicine. Natsume sat himself down beside him and watched him down two pills and the entire glass.

Natsume really hated to see Tanuma ill. It was just a fever, probably just a cold from being out in the rain yesterday, but it was in his nature to worry. He looked down to his lap and frowned deeply. There was a lot of things Natsume could do to try to protect his friends but he couldn't always stop bad things from happening.

Lost in his thoughts he didn't notice Tanuma move until his head fell gently onto his shoulder. He jolted slightly, feeling a stab of worry as Tanuma leaned on him.

"Are you okay?" He asked hurriedly and Tanuma hummed a wordless reassurance. Natsume could feel the heat of his skin radiating into him.

"You worry too much." Tanuma mumbled softly, his warm breath touching Natsume's skin. "It's okay to relax sometimes."

Natsume stiffened at those words. He didn't want Tanuma picking up on his worries like that. Yet, it was oddly soothing. Silently he put his arms around Tanuma and sighed. "Yeah."

The fifth time they were on top of the world

It had been a tough few days for the two of them. Natsume had been ambushed by a powerful Youkai on the way home from school on Monday. Luckily Nyanko-Sensei had been there to protect him. Unluckily Tanuma had been walking home with him and had been swept up in all the drama that ensued. Obviously he had been hesitant to let him involve himself but having been there when it all began Tanuma had been unwilling to be excluded. It was hard to accept but Natsume had ultimately been unable to push Tanuma away again. He had tried, but the hurt expression he had received was more than he had been able to handle.

It had taken days of preparation to construct a plan to deal with the troublesome Youkai. It had also taken the help of Notori who had produced all the props of their procedure. It had been nerve wracking and Notori's sudden change in plans had made Natsume want to kill him. Half way through something had gone wrong and the Youkai who was supposed to lure the Youkai into their trap had been immobilised. Without so much as addressing Natsume about it, Notori had sent Tanuma in its place. When he had seen the boy dash through the field with the Youkai hot on his trail Natsume had wanted to scream but he couldn't move. If he did the trap would fail and there would be know saving Tanuma.

At precisely the right moment Tanuma dived through the grass and the Youkai, still traveling at break neck spread flew right over his head and Natsume deployed the trap. A net of charms sprung up and engulfed the Youkai. Notori emerged shortly after to seal it but Natsume honestly had little concern. His eyes skimmed madly over the grassy field searching for Tanuma. The boy in question stood from the ground, brushing the dirt from his clothes. He looked up to Natsume, grinning wildly.

Natsume dashed across the field to meet him. "Tanuma!" He was overwhelmed with relief, they had dealt with the Youkai and Tanuma had come out of it unscathed.

"We did it!" Tanuma cheered excitedly, jogging in Natsume's direction.

When they met Natsume wasn't sure what came over him but it must have been the same thing that came over Tanuma because in that moment he threw his arms around his friend and had a set of arms fold around him in return.

There were a thousand things Natsume wanted to say in that moment. Are you okay? Don't ever do that again. Thank goodness you're alright. In the end, however, only three words made it out. "You did great."

Natsume could feel Tanuma beaming happily as he squeezed him tighter. "Thank you for letting me help."

Notori cleared his throat and Natsume turned his head to look at him "Do you two need some privacy?" The man smirked.

Tanuma quickly released Natsume and Natsume pulled back in embarrassment.

The sixth time Natsume thought his heart was about to burst.

The night had started out perfectly pleasantly. The sky was clear, giving way for the stars and moon to shine brightly down on them. They'd been out late with Taki, Kitamoto and Nashimura. They'd been having a Bon fire by the river and lost track of the time. It wouldn't really matter, they were supposed to be staying with Tanuma and his father wasn't home to worry about how late they were out. It didn't stop the both of them feeling slightly guilty as they knew their respective guardians would likely scold them if they knew. The guilt wasn't enough to stifle their fun, however, as they continued to joke and laugh between them as they slowly made their way home.

Over time they had both become far more open with each other. To begin with they had both been stiff and awkward, and they still were in a lot of situations, but now they could communicate with ease and joke as if they were just any other, normal pair of teenagers. It was all that Natsume had ever hoped for. Every time Tanuma was able to smile carelessly at him he knew he felt immeasurable joy.

"Next time, we should camp out for the night." Tanuma suggested eagerly.

"That sounds fun." Natsume smiled in agreement. "I've never been camping."

"Neither have I." Tanuma admitted. "But I really want to try it some time."

"We can talk to the others about it, we could organise to do it after exams."

Tanuma looked to him with bright eyes. "I'm excited." He looked down and chuckled sheepishly. "I know it's childish but I can't help getting enthusiastic. I guess I'm in a good mood."

Natsume shook his head. "It's good that you can get excited about things."

Tanuma nodded thoughtfully. He looked up to the sky with a calm smile on his face. He looked to be considering his next words a great deal before he finally spoke them. He opened his mouth to speak but stopped with a wince and glanced back down the path they were walking down. Natsume followed his glance but saw nothing. His brows furrowed.

"Did you feel something?"

"Nothing really." Tanuma said slowly. "My head suddenly hurt and I thought I heard something but that's it. Whatever it was I don't think it was too bad. My head already feels better."

Natsume was admittedly unsettled but he nodded anyway. "Alright. Let's keep going then."

They began walking again, falling into a less than comfortable silence. It was just a little passing feeling. Nothing to be worried about, right? So why couldn't he shake this awful dread pooling in his gut. By the look of Tanuma he wished he hadn't said anything about it now that it had put a damper on their lighthearted conversation. Suddenly Tanuma spun around and shoved Natsume hard in the chest.

He stumbled backwards, hitting the ground hard. He looked up with shocked eyes and saw exactly why Tanuma had done what he did. Towering over Tanuma, what must have been just a vague shadow to Him, was a dark, inhuman creature.

"Get back!" Tanuma shouted forcefully but Natsume couldn't move. He was frozen. He watched helplessly as shimmering metallic claws thrust forward to their victim. The blades made a sickening wet squelch as the cut through its target like butter. The three claws came clean out the other side, through Tanuma's abdomen, cover in deep red.

Natsume felt his hold world come crashing down around him in that moment and colour faded from his vision. All colour except that deep, disgusting red. He didn't care that those claws were being drawn back again, he didn't care that they were poised to strike at him next. All he saw was Tanuma, his friend. His legs wobbled dangerously and his arms moved weakly as if to clutch his wound but they didn't make it that far. At the same moment Madara burst forth, tackling the attacking Youkai into the dense forest, Tanuma collapsed to his knees before falling face down into the dirt path.

Suddenly, his body wasn't frozen. In fact, it was moving on its own. He scramble forward until he was on his knees in front of Tanuma's collapsed form. Natsume's whole body was shaking and his mind was devoid of all coherent thought as he gingerly turned him over, holding his head gently in his lap. Tanuma's eyes were wide in a mixture of shock and intense pain. His breaths came laboured and quick and blood had already soaked through most of his shirt.

"No.." The word slipped from Natsume's lips before he could stop them. "No no no no no!" Tears rolled freely down his cheeks and he choked back a sob. This couldn't be real. This couldn't be happening. Not to Tanuma. Tanuma was too precious. This sort of thing wasn't meant to happen to Tanuma, never Tanuma. Natsume shook his head rapidly in disbelief. No. Not Tanuma. Why not him?

"No!" He was screaming now. His hands cupped Tanuma's cheeks shakily, his tears dripping down onto his pail skin. Tanuma looked up at him wordlessly. "T-Tanuma, come on, please, you're okay, just- just stay with me okay? Please don't die, you can't die." He rambled aimlessly, hoping that his words would reach him.

"Nnn." Tanuma struggled. "N-natsu-"

"Shh, shh, it's okay." Natsume spoke as if he were begging some greater force to make it true. "Your okay, just breathe." He pulled Tanuma up against his chest and pressed his hand to the rapidly bleeding wounds.

Tanuma's body relaxed in his grasp. "S-sorry-" he choked.

"No, no, stop." Natsume rasped.

"I-I know y-you don't like-" Tanuma took a shallow breath. "Touching. So. Sorry." He managed to lift his hands enough to place his hands over Natsume's.

It was in its ways true. For a long time he'd been uncomfortable with intimate things like touches and hugs. It hadn't been that way for a long time now. Not with Tanuma. He'd found himself yearning for those moments when they could be close. Even though he knew Tanuma had shared his aversion he couldn't contain the warmth and happiness he felt in those moments they had together. He didn't like hugs, but he lived for Tanuma's.

"It's okay." Natsume whispered, bowing his head to burry it in Tanuma's shoulder. "When it's you, it's always okay."

The seventh time, Natsume was just glad there could be a seventh.

Natsume had felt like the life had been drained from his body just as the blood drained from Tanuma's. He had no sense of time with the events that followed. All Natsume's attention was focused on the rapidly fading Tanuma. It hadn't mattered to him that Madara had managed to take down the Youkai that had attacked them, or that Notori, who had been hunting it, had arrived to finish it off. It didn't even matter to him when Notori ordered Madara to take Tanuma away. Natsume was too far gone in his state of mind to understand or care what happened. They had tried to separate him from Tanuma and take him away but Natsume had refused to let him go. In the end they had both been put atop Madara and taken away.

Where they had ended up was a small medical centre. It looked extremely simple but was anything but. It was as well equipped as any hospital. Notori explained that many people came here with injuries and illnesses relating to Youkai to receive proper treatment with no questions asked. When they arrived he had forced him to let go of Tanuma with the promise that they'd return him alive. Even then Natsume had to be restrained from following them. Once he was out of his sight he felt empty. He had sunken into a waiting room chair and Notori had remained by him doing his best to talk him through his hysteria. Something Natsume would eventually have to thank him for.

During the hours that passed Natsume had been in and out of his conscious mind. While aware his mind raced over everything he had done wrong to lead to this point and every possible outcome. When not he found himself dreaming over and over of the moment those claws had pierced Tanuma's flesh. In short he was in torment.

It wasn't until the next day that they heard anything about Tanuma's condition. The doctor who ran the clinic, a tall, dark featured man, came out during one of Natsume's wakeful periods. Notori was still there and Nyanko was asleep in a nearby chair. Upon his entrance Natsume had looked to him with eyes begging for good news. He didn't think he could handle anything else.

"It was a tough night, but he's going to live."

The words sent a wave of relief throughout his entire body. It was such a weight off of his shoulders that he felt that he was floating. Tanuma was going to live. He was going to be okay.

"Thank you." Natsume gasped, feeling tears prick at the back of his eyes.

"It's what I do." The doctor smiled softly, empathetically.

"What's the damage?" Notori asked practically.

"There was obviously a lot of internal damage but we were able to patch it all up. He'll be out of commission for a few weeks but he will make a full recovery. I'll prescribe some pain medication and schedule him to come back and get his stitches out."

"Can I see him?" Natsume asked meekly, a spark of hopefulness in his voice.

"Of course. He's still out from the anaesthetics though. He should wake up after not too long." The doctor gestured towards the door. "Do you want me to show you?"

Natsume stood quickly, nodding viciously. Notori stated that he would stay with Nyanko in the waiting room and they left. Natsume could feel his hands shaking as he was lead down the hall to Tanuma's room. The room was the last at the end of the hall. The doctor opened the door and stood aside.

"Take your time. I'll leave you two alone."

Natsume nodded silently and walked into the room, vaguely aware of the sound of the door closing behind him. He was too enthralled in the sight before him. Lying perfectly still in the pristine hospital bed, bare chest raising and falling with each steady breath was Tanuma. He was pail and deathly still, but he was alive. The tears that had been building in his eyes now trickled down his cheeks. He stumbled over to the bed and his hand instinctively closed around his. Warmth. Life. Tanuma really was alive.

He sat in a seat already positioned at his bedside. Not for a moment did he consider letting go of that soft, warm hand. It was soothing of all his worries. So much so that he found himself drifting into sleep. A sleep not plagued by the events of the night before. A thoughtless, dreamless sleep. He was still riddled with guilt and concern, but for a time he could be content with the fact that Tanuma was at least alive.

How long Natsume slept at his friends side, he wasn't sure, but he was woken some time later by a small squeeze on his hand. He blinked into the real world, regaining the memories of where he was slowly as he came back to consciousness. Slowly his eyes trailed up to see a pail hand wrapped securely around his. He stared for a moment before his gaze snapped up further to the face smiling gently back at him.

"Tanuma!" He jumped to his feet, unable to suppress a grin. He wanted to spill all his thoughts and feelings in that moment. To tell Tanuma how sorry he was and how worried he was, the words he settled on would never be enough to express all the complex emotions behind them. "I'm so glad." It came out as a chocked back sob, his voice wavering behind smiling lips.

"If you were so tired you should have gone home and slept." Tanuma said in an infuriatingly concerned tone. "You'll ruin your back sleeping like that."

Natsume was genuinely speechless. Tanuma had almost died. he'd been skewered by a Youkai and left to bleed to death in the dirt. If it weren't for Notori and Nyanko he wouldn't be alive and still he wasted his time worrying over where Natsume slept. The first words out of his mouth after hours of hanging onto life by a thread were in concern to others. Natsume found himself laughing helplessly as the words sunk in past his shock. Tanuma was a precious person in so many ways, since the incident Natsume's head had been filled with thoughts of how delicate that precious life was but that wasn't Tanuma.

Tanuma wasn't the strongest, he wasn't the most strategic or powerful, but he wasn't weak. He was amazingly strong hearted and endlessly courageous. Natsume's biggest mistake had been thinking otherwise for even a moment.

The injured boy made a puzzled face at Natsume's laughter. "Are you okay? What's so funny?"

"I've never been better." Natsume dismissed, wiping tears from his eyes. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, I'm just confused."

"No." Natsume shook his head. "For before."

"Natsume, don't apologise. I chose to-"

"I wasn't apologising for that." He interrupted much to Tanuma's surprise. "You said, back in the forest, that you were sorry because you knew I didn't like touching. I wanted to apologise for making you think that way at a time like that." Natsume's tone had turned serious. "At a time like that I- I should have been able to be comforting. You shouldn't have had to worry about that."

"Oh." Tanuma was quiet as if he had just remembered speaking those words. "No- it's okay. Honestly, you being there was very comforting, I actually said it because I felt I was being selfish for being calmed by your touch. I always feel bad for enjoying things like that because it's so.." He paused, searching for the word. "One sided."

"You think that?" Natsume blinked.

"Well, when we accidentally get too close you always seem so uncomfortable, and when it's on purpose it always seems to be for my benefit. Every time I felt like telling you that you didn't have to, but I couldn't bring myself to because it felt so good to stay that way." Tanuma mumbled, face turned away and cheeks flushed.

"That's not really true. When I accidentally touch you I feel bad because I'm worried I've made you uncomfortable, and all the times its on purpose it's really me selfishly wanting an excuse to justify invading your personal space." Natsume looked down, ashamed to say it all out loud. He was surprised to hear Tanuma chuckle lightly.

"After all that worrying, we were on the same page after all. Weren't we?"

Natsume smiled and looked up again. "It would seem so"

They fell into a comfortable silence and Tanuma closed his eyes in relaxation. Natsume knew he wasn't asleep and he really shouldn't, but he couldn't help but stare at the gentle features of his friends face as he took deep, even breaths. He would never take the sound of Tanuma's steady breathing for granted again.

"Can I hug you?" Natsume asked suddenly before he could stop to think about the request.

Tanuma's eyes opened again and stared up at Natsume's. "Hug me?"

Natsume nodded. "I was so scared last night, I didn't want to leave you for even a moment. They had to force me to let go of you." His cheeks grew redder and redder as he spoke. "I thought you were going to die. I was so sure of it that this all feels surreal. I think it would make me feel better if I could, well, hug you."

Tanuma gave him a gentle, understanding smile and nodded. "If you could help me sit up, I'd be happy to."

It took longer than expected to help Tanuma sit as it was an expectantly painful process and Natsume had to stop and apologise profusely every time Tanuma so much as winced. Once he was upright, he opened his arms and Natsume leaned in, wrapping his arms around his friend in a gentle yet secure hug. Tanuma returned the movement weakly, the strain of sitting up having taken most of his strength. They stayed like this for a long while. Natsume reviled in Tanuma's warmth and Familiar scent.

Natsume wouldn't say it out loud, but there was no place he could imagine feeling more comfortable. He would never know it, but in that moment Tanuma felt exactly the same.


End file.
